Chapter Text
It was cold, dark. Somber was the sound Titan heard as he sank into his own mind. He felt as if he were floating, he felt the water against hist skin, the smell of salt wafting into his nostrils. He felt as if he were dead.
But was he? It felt like it. Was this really what it felt like to be dead? If so, it sounded boring.
He tried to open his eyes, but they wouldn't respond. He tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn't open. All he heard around him, voices, loud sirens, noise. It was something he recognized, an ambulance. Was he dying? If so, he would like to stay alive because if he was in the afterlife, staying there would be as lame as where he was.
The noise died down, but now there were voices. They were quiet, hushed tones, a sense of urgency. He couldn't hear them, they were too muffled for him to hear even a syllable. Who were these voices? Do they know him? if so, they must be important to him, or maybe he was important to them.
But why him? He wasn't anything special.
Titan could remember somethings. He remembered dying his blonde hair with streaks of orange and green because it was his first day of high school. He remembered being given his first hearing aids when he was thirteen. Hold was he again? Oh, right, he was fifteen.
He remembered...his dad. People would confuse the two since they looked so much alike. But where was he? His hair was like shining gold, his smile was bright, his love and affection was unlike another. And Titan could feel the warmth and love inside his chest; he started to feel warm again.
Why was he cold? Wait a minute, was he actually dying? Well, that sucks because he really wanted to see how boring the afterlife was, not this waterhole knockoff of floating in the ocean.
He felt his eyes flutter open, it was dark. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't hear anything, obviously, but he heard those noises. Why? His hearing couldn't be cured with just the snap of a finger. But he remembered his hearing aids, he was still wearing them. He forgot about that. Stupid.
Titan's heart began to quicken, he hated the dark, he hated being alone.
He felt something snap, and the darkness around him seems to fade. The warmth around him became more present, his cheeks felt flush, he felt sweat sliding down his temple. But he couldn't hear anything. His hearing aids must've fallen out. He felt footsteps against the floor coming closer, a hand rested on his forehead, brushing away the stray hairs that framed his face. It was gentle, careful, and soft. Titan could smell the generic lotion off them. The person began to leave, but not before pressing their lips against his forehead, soft, affectionate, loving, it reminded him of dad. He wanted to see, but he couldn't move, he couldn't open his eyes, he couldn't do anything.
Move, he had to move.
He tried to open his eyes, nothing. He tried to move his body, nothing. It frustrated him.
He could feel something small being put in his ears. Fingers fiddled around his ears until he could hear soft breathing. Oh, they must be putting in his hearing aids, how nice of them.
"Titan? I hope you can hear me. You're going to be okay, everything's going to be alright." The person was a man, their voice was shaky, hollow, they tried to sound hopeful, but they felt like they mean nothing. Was something happening?
"Saturn!" Another voice barked, this one sterner in a way that Titan didn't trust. "I told you not to touch it!" They hissed as another pair of footsteps grew closer. "You must have a death wish if you're getting this close!" They hissed as he could feel a hand grip tightly into his.
"He's my child, just because he's been infected doesn't mean I can't spend his last few hours with him!" The person, Saturn, retorted. His child? Was this dad?
"Fine! One hour, then I'm putting him down. You better be out of this room when I get back." The angry person says with a huff and seems to storm off with a door slamming shut with a deafening bang.
Saturn sighed and let out a tiny sniffle, "Don't mind him, he's paranoid about you killing us in our sleep. But it's o-kay," he voice cracked at the last word, he could hear his dad crying softly, sobs that made Titan's heart ache. He remembered dad always being a crybaby, getting emotional over the tiniest things. But this? This was different. His own child, his flesh and blood, was dying in his arms.
So, he was dying, he thought dying was supposed to be painful. But it felt peaceful, calm, almost normal. Like he was sleeping instead. Weird.
"I love you Titan. My child, my supernova, my baby boy. I love you so much. " He sobbed harder, Titan could hear something different, his dad crying for someone he once knew.
He could feel his lips move; they twitch trying to get the words out. "Mmff." Was all he could muster.
That seemed to have an effect, he could hear his dad perk up, the crying seeming halt. "T-Titan? Darling? You can hear me? Try to open your eyes, look at me." He begged that his hand caressing his cheek encouragingly.
His eyes twitch, he winced as the brightness of the room made them slam shut with a wince. Too bright, it hurts. "O-oh, oh dear, here let me turn the lights off for you," Saturn left his side, he could see through his blurry vision the lights dimming until the room was dark, save for the light coming from his left, most likely from a window.
His eyes twitch again and this time they opened. It was dark, but the light from the window gave the room some color, he turned his head to see his dad perched right beside him. His hair framed his face, hanging over his shoulders, it looked unkempt, oily, unwashed. His brown eyes were dull and tired, swollen and red from the crying, but were shining bright seeing his son wake up.
"Titan? Darling? You can hear me, yes?" He asked softly, "Can you move?"
Titan managed to shake his head.
Saturn nodded, sad and solemn, "That's to be expected, people when they get bitten, they lose all momentum and motion. But you're okay, I knew you'd be!" He cheered quietly, "I-I need to talk to Erebus, you haven't turned. You're going to live darling; I promise you that."
Bitten? What did he mean by bitten?
The suddenly slammed open, he recognized the footsteps of the angry man who was going to 'put him down,' Titan didn't like the sound of that.
"I told you to be out of here!" He scolded Saturn.
"Erebus I—" he began to speak but Erebus cut him off.
"I don't want to hear your excuses, out. Now." He said his words final and tone hard.
"Erebus please stop. Titan opened his eyes; he seems to listen to me! He's—"
He could see the man called Erebus suddenly push Saturn to the side and stalked towards him, with a gun in his hand. Not good, not good at all.
He saw his dad leap towards him and the two started wresting for the gun.
"You're not killing him!!" Saturn screamed at him, his straining and getting rawer and more emotional.
Erebus gained the upper hand and slammed him onto the ground. "Stay down Saturn, don't make this harder than it already has to be!" He shouted back.
They didn't seem to notice Titan sitting up from the bed, his feet hit the floor, he looked to the right to see a floor length mirror. The first thing he noticed were his eyes; they weren’t brown like his dad's. They were gold. He looked normal, but not human at the same time. He saw faint lines of gold glowing around his cheeks and neck, they were his veins, glowing and pulsing. As if they were reacting to his every move.
Erebus didn't seem to notice the boy stalking slowly behind him as he manage to pin Saturn to wall, the gun still clothed in his right hand, Saturn struggling to push him away. "Stop Saturn, just stop. That thing on the bed, that's not your son anymore." Saturn shook his head, letting out loud sobs, his movement ceasing slowly. "It's okay," Erebus said resolutely, "You don't have to watch. Just close your eyes and cover your ears." He turns around, jumping back to see Titan standing right in front of him, golden eyes blazing and fist clenched tight.
"Oh shit-" He cursed as he lifted the gun to fire. But Titan grabbed the gun and in an instant a gold light engulfed it. To Titan's amazement and Erebus's horror, the gun began to melt. He dropped it instantly and watched it turn into steaming molten gold. Erebus staggered back, unable to comprehend what he just witnessed. Titan saw his dad cowering, eyes squeezed shut, hands covering his ears, just what Erebus told him to do. He walks toward him carefully, he raised his hands to softly grip his dad's hands, his wrists were bruised where rough hands gripped them. "Dad?" He croaked out, his voice was hoarse but clear enough for Saturn to open his eyes.
He gasps seeing Titan's eyes, his hands shook off his sons to cradle his face, "You're alive," he whispered, "You're alive, you look so alive." He pulled Titan close into a loving embrace. "Dad? Can we go home?" He asked hopefully, "I don't like it here."
Saturn seem to ponder the question, his brows furrowed as he spoke his next words, "I'm not sure if our old home is waiting for us, but," he trailed off with a smile, "Why don't we find somewhere better than our old one? Something bigger." He offered, and that sounded better to Titan. "Yeah," he tucked his face into his dad's chest, "Can we go now?"
"Saturn." Ah, he forgot that Erebus was literally standing there watching this happen, "What the fuck is this?" He hissed, "What the fuck is that? Whatever the fuck you think that thing is, it's not your kid." He pointed at Titan, who glared at him, almost as if eyes glare could kill.
"Shut up, Erebus." Saturn his tone suddenly going flat, hard. "Don't talk to my son like that." He glared.
Erebus flinched, "Saturn, you don't under--"
"Leave," Saturn said angrily, "and never come back, don't come finding me again. Leave me and my son alone." He growled.
He fists clench, his feet move to the door, he turns back one last time. "You won't survive out there, Saturn. You'll die without me." He said as if it were a fact.
Titan left Saturn's embrace, staring defiantly into Erebus's eyes. "He said leave, so leave before you melt through the floor." He held up a hand tauntingly. Erebus glared but left quickly.
"He's right, you know." Saturn said. His hand rubbing his elbow shamefully. "I am a coward; I won't survive what's happening. I'm going to die I-I-" He started to sob but Titan interrupted. "Dad." He said firmly, this caused the tears that threatened to fall dry up instantly as Titan continued. "You're not a coward; cowards would never let someone try to kill their child. What you did wasn't cowardice, it was sacrifice. You're not a coward, not in my eyes." He held out a hand waiting for him to take it. Saturn sniffled and took it, the two embracing once more.
"I just have one question."
"Yes darling?"
"What the fuck is going on?"